"This was an issue of basic fairness," one former senior official involved in the discussions said.
It is a statement about basic fairness, truth-telling and the rule of law.
It is a story about ignoring basic fairness, known to some as equal protection of the law.
But, they say, once the attempt at compensation had begun, basic fairness required that their claims be considered along with those of later victims.
This is not an ideological issue; it is one of basic fairness and justice.
So the real issue, the workers argue, is one of basic fairness.
The "no" votes were a stand for budget sanity and basic fairness.
But the lawyers for the detainees are pressing to get the court to consider the basic fairness of the procedure itself.
At its' heart, feminism is only about basic fairness and justice, as far as I'm concerned.